John K. Fairbank and His Views on Sino-American Relations from the 1940’s to the 1970’s

Yangcai FAN

Abstract

This paper attempts to evaluate John K. Fairbank’s roles in the development of Sino-American relations. It first examines Fairbank’s experiences and Chinabound activities, then analyses his perspectives on Sino- American relations from the 1940’s to the 1970’s, as well as his vacillating views on the Taiwan issue. Research on this subject reveals that in more than four decades, Fairbank, both as an American historian and as a China specialist, put forward many policy recommendations on Sino-American relations to the American government. Most of his perspectives were based on his understanding of the history of China and her revolution and such perspectives proved to have certain influence on the American public opinion and the American government. Regarding Sino-American relations, his major views are 1) predicting Jiang Jieshi’s losing the “Mandate” in 1943; 2) advocating American abandoning Jiang’s regime in the Chinese Civil War; 3) advocating recognition of the PRC and her admission into the UN; 4) advocating improving Sino-American relations and normalizing bilateral relations at an early date. The paper also expounds Fairbank’s views on the Taiwan issue in detail, which shows that on this specifi c matter, Fairbank utterly neglected the sentiments of the Chinese people and considered too much for the interests of the ruling class of the United States before the 1960’s. That is why his advocacy of Taiwan’s “independence” was destined to failure. In the 1970’s, with the thaw of Sino-U.S. relations, Fairbank came to understand the political ideal of unity of the Chinese people. He began to reconsider the Taiwan issue in the framework of One- China policy. His advocacy of Taiwan’s “autonomy” under PRC sovereignty contributed to the offi cial settlement of the Taiwan issue in 1979. It concludes that in more than four decades, John K. Fairbank, despite his limitations as a bourgeois historian, did his utmost to improve Sino-American relations and his views and perspectives with this regard merit a comprehensive research.